FKT: Hugh Beedell - Elham Valley Way (United Kingdom) - 2020-10-25

Athletes
Route variation
one way
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Unsupported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
3h 36m 53s
GPS track(s)
Report

Had some very nice parts, lots of small villages with beautiful churches, rolling hills and I enjoyed the variance in terrain with some navigation thrown in even with lots of trail markers along the way.

Start/finish are a bit random (the first 2 pictures are the start point and last 3 the finish). Lots of zigzagging through villages or field. I managed to go wrong around 5.4miles taking a path into Etchinghill so be aware of that when following my gpx, the original gpx cut off some big corners so I followed the signage when possible. Some of the paths were well maintained as they are the local dog walkers route, other bits were a scramble through woods or across fields with no clear path. Be wary of farm dogs and narrow paths with barbed wire!! The last few miles into canterbury were quite dull going through unpicturesque field and housing estates on concrete, another batch of heavy rain made it a slog into the city centre crossing some busy roads and struggling to find a definitive finish.

There’s a good bus system to get you back to your start point from the city centre however it’d be nicer to start in Canterbury and run away from all the hustle and bustle, but then your last half mile is downhill on concrete which’ll be painful after 22 miles!
 

Maybe it was the rain that made it the route a bit disappointing overall, there are some other nice paths in the area that you could do sections on like the North Downs Way and Saxon Shore Way. However if you wanna get an FKT come and get it!!!